Nilgiri Mountain Railway (Toy Train), Ooty

WORTH IT

HOURSOoty–Mettupalayam departs ~2:00 PM (arrives ~5:30 PM); Mettupalayam–Ooty departs ~7:10 AM (arrives ~11:55 AM); separate short Ooty–Coonoor runs from ~9:15 AM

ENTRY FEE₹295-450 second class, ₹600-1,100 first class depending on route/quotaverify same-day

TIME NEEDED5 hrs (full Mettupalayam route) or 1 hr (Ooty-Coonoor leg)

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

UNESCO World Heritage rack railway — book on IRCTC 30-120 days ahead; walk-up tickets are almost impossible in peak season (Apr-Jun, Dec-Jan). The Ooty-Coonoor short leg is a good fallback if the full route is sold out.

HISTORY & BACKGROUND

This 46-km metre-gauge line from Mettupalayam to Ooty was proposed in 1854 but only built between 1891 and 1908 due to the steep terrain, using Swiss Alpine rack-and-pinion technology (Abt system) on its steepest stretch between Mettupalayam and Coonoor. It is the only rack railway in India, originally hauled by Swiss-built X Class steam locomotives now manufactured at the Golden Rock Workshop in Tiruchirappalli. In July 2005, UNESCO extended the World Heritage designation of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway to include it, creating the joint listing 'Mountain Railways of India'.

LOCATIONOpen in Google Maps